


The Things I Do For You

by Mearbear



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Abuse, Drug Use, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:07:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22213804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mearbear/pseuds/Mearbear
Summary: Dick is kidnapped and forced to take drugs. Dick acts out in the most unimaginable ways as Slade tries to free him from the grip of addiction. Is their love strong enough to get Dick to come clean?*Hey, I've been having writers block with this and another story I'm working on. Sorry for the delay.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson
Comments: 14
Kudos: 69





	1. My Love

The rain was trickling down creating a haunting melody that was only lifted by the sharp sound of thunder. The smell of damp mildew filled the young heroes senses as he slowly began to come to. This place was cold and dark, he had to wonder how he got here. What had gone so wrong?

That's right, Nightwing was hunting down a new dealer that slipped through the cracks of Blüdhaven. One moment, the man was a large charity investor and the next he had the blood of 18 people who overdosed on his new and potent drug. Men, women, and children all alike. Some of the whispers said that Alfonzo Laronda was stowing the money away to invest in powerful alien weaponry, others said he was trying to start some sort of drug/sex ring. Either way, it was enough for Dick to have gotten involved. 

He tracked Alfonzo down to an old run down apartment, it was empty when Nightwing had broken in but he was able to find the man's stash and some personal photos of the man's family. Honestly, Dick was surprised that this new, so called, big shot happened to be so damn sloppy. That was until he was ambushed by Alfonzo and Tiger Shark. It started with a dense nauseating smoke bomb then to follow it up he felt several bullets hit his Kevlar. Dick managed to take down three goons but it didn't take long for the smoke to get to him, even with his rebreather in place. He wobbled and the next thing he knew there was a sharp pain in his head followed by darkness.

And now he's here.

"He's no use to us if we can't get that damn mask off."

"But sir, Everytime we try it shocks us."

"Not my problem, figure it out before you sleep with the fishes…. Look who decided to wake, we were just talking about you." The man approached.

Dick's eyes focused on the face on Alfonzo, he looked like a cheap knock off of Ra's… If Ra's was a Spaniard and had a disturbingly young yet old looking face. God, this man was probably as much a victim of substance abuse as his victims. 

"Why don't you save us the trouble and tell us your name?"

"My mom told me not to talk to strangers."

Alfonzo chuckled before punching Dick in the stomach hard before pulling him back by his hair. No wonder he was so cold, he was in his underwear. 

"I'm good at making people talk, boy. Don't test me."

"I think what you meant to say was, 'I never shut up'." 

That earned Dick another hard punch to the gut. 

"Very well."

Alfonzo stepped back and walked over to the table Tiger Shark was sitting at, Dick tested the chains while he watched the man open up a briefcase before drawing a needle. 

"Funny thing about addiction…. People will do anything to get a fix."

He returned with the needle and grabbed Dick's arm, Dick struggled and tried to pull away but instead he just cut his arm on the end of the needle. It didn't stop Alfonzo, he didn't care if he hurt Dick. 

"Let go!" Dick struggled against the needle.

"Shhh"

His head began growing fuzzy, his vision briefly going down as Dick's body reacted to the drugs.

"It's just heroin… With my own little twist of course… Night, night Birdy."

  
  
  


Two weeks later. 

  
  


It wasn't unusual for Dick to be gone into the early hours of the morning and not communicate that. It wasn't off for him to call and say he wasn't going to be home for a couple weeks. What wasn't  _ normal _ , what  _ wasn _ 't okay was that it had been two weeks. Two whole weeks where Dick didn't check in. Didn't come  _ home. _ Slade had no doubt something was wrong? In fact, that's why he was here. 

Slade slammed the last goons head down into the table, the shot glasses shattering under the force of the man's head. The body dropped down onto the floor where the other seven were. Slade approached Penguin, grabbing him by the collar and forcing him up against the wall where he held a knife against the man's fat swollen stomach. He wasn't the first in Slades long line of interrogations.

"Don't make me ask again."

"I-I swear! I haven't seen that obnoxious bird for brains!"

"That doesn't mean you don't know where he is." Slade pressed the knife against the others stomach. "He was looking for Alfonzo Laronda, I want the names of who Laronda is working for."

"Alfonzo!? This is about him?! I don't know what that rat has planned but he stole half my clientele." The knife began piercing Oswald's skin, "I saw him talking to Tiger Shark!"

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Slade dropped the man and just like that, he was gone.

Slade would have never considered Alfonzo a threat, he was a drug dealer for Christ's sake. And Tiger Shark? Sure he was dangerous but far less than some of the guys Dick had tangled with. This didn't make any sense. 

It took some digging around but after a few hours, Slade tracked down the Tiger Shark. He was staying in some high class, pricey hotel. Far as Slade could see every room had some guard. Tiger wasn't known to be so heavily guarded, which means he knew Slade would come for him. Slade would come to find out what happened to his husband no matter the cost.

In a fluid motion, Deathstroke fired a grapple at the building and was flying through the air. The sound of the hook breaking glass immediately gained the attention of the guards, guards who were blown to pieces by small bombs Slade threw in before entering the building. He drew his sword next and severed another guards tranchea without hesitation before putting a bullet in one mores head. 

He continued on slicing through everything the goons had to throw at him until there was nothing more than a pile of bodies between Slade and the door to the suite. Slade kicked the door down, a bullet flying through the air and penetrating his shoulder as thousands of bullets followed from the remaining guards. Deathstroke was quick to rush forward, dodging a fair amount of fire. The bullets that did make contact did nothing to slow him. 

He sliced the hand off of one man before using his body as a shield, taking his M16 to put holes in the rest of the guards. Tiger Shark backed himself into a corner as Slade threw the last body aside.

"Deathstro-" He didn't get to finish before Slade forced his sword through the man's shoulder pinning him to the wall.

"I'm only going to ask once… Where is Nightwing?"

"I dont-" Again, his sentence was cut off this time by Slade twisting the blade eliciting a pained whine. "Okay… Okay… He's in the basement of the old brewery. The one closed from the fires."

"That wasn't so hard was it?" Slade asked, removing the blade as Tiger Shark held the wound. 

In another swift motion, Slade severed the man's head and turned to leave the building, heading straight for the brewery. 

  
  
  
  


When Slade found Dick he was in rough shape, arms bound over his head, half naked. It made Slades chest tense with rage. He would find Alfonzo and he would kill him. He shifted closer and Dick's gaze moved up to meet his.

"Deathstroke." Briefly his eyes shot passed him, "Untie me… Let me out."

Slade paused, following Dick's gaze to the table behind him. The table was lined with needles with vials of clear fluid beside it.

"What have they done to you?"

Deathstroke moved quickly and broke the chains holding Dick's wrists. He didn't move into Slade's embrace the way he had expected, he didn't even seem to notice him which… Given the amount of blood on his suit wasn't a bad thing. Instead, Dick began crawling towards the table and Slade made quick work to grab Dick's ankle pulling him back.

He didn't expect the other to attempt to kick him in the head. The blow landed but Slade only tightened his grip before pulling Dick to his side so he could restrain him. Dick threw up and his body began to tremble.

"It's twice as addictive as heroin. He's been without it for 6 hours and he's already withdrawaling." A voice came from the stairs.

Slade didn't even look behind him, instead he tightened his grip on Dick.

"Sounds like a way to ensure you make a profit." Despite his rage his voice was even.

"It is… Junkies will use more which will increase the rate they buy. Mobsters will buy it for purposes of interrogation." He paused waiting for Slade to respond but instead was met with silence. "A junkie will do anything for a fix… Including superheroes. His name wasn't such a high cost… And neither is your life."

Deathstroke moved quickly, dragging Dick behind the table with him as he knocked it down to it's side using it as cover as a rush of bullet flew by hitting it. Slade growled and released Dick as he waited for the pause of reloading. In that split second Slade dart from the table, firing bullets into the legs of the hired goons. Dick may have been out of it, but their agreement still stood. His pistol ran out of ammo before he could take down the rest of the guards, more bullets flying through the air. Alfonzo was getting away.

Slade felt a couple bullets penetrate his suit at the distraction and was quick to slice through the other men, cutting them across their chests before severing their achilies tendons. Once they were all accounted for he rushed out of the building. No sign of Alfonzo. Slade cursed and moved back to the stairs making his way down and back to Dick. A frown spread across his lips when he saw the empty needle beside his lover and the man drifting in and out of consciousness. 


	2. Love, hate, heartbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Total transparency. I feel like this chapter is a little rushed but I also didn't know how else to write it so any editorial feedback is welcome! The next chapter will be a lot more fluid.

Dick had forgotten how much he  _ hated _ throwing up. His face had been in the toilet for the better part of thirty minutes now. After more vomit projected out of his face he slumped back against Slade letting out a groan. Slade ran his hand up and down Dick's hot sweaty back before pushing a hand through his damp hair. 

"Better?"

"No… I'm cold, my head hurts, my body aches… I mean… Where the fuck do you get off doing this?"

Dick shook his head and put a hand over his face, closing his eyes. 

"Dick… I know you. You don't want-"

"Don't sit here and tell me what I want, you're not me." Dick snapped before gagging, his head growing extremely dizzy. 

He shifted over the toilet but this time nothing came out. Slade still rubbed reassuring circles on Dick's back before the young man moved to stand, flushing the toilet on his way up. His skin was pale, under his eyes was nearly black. He scooped water into his hand before rinsing his mouth out. He spit into the sink and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Slade moved to put his hand on Dick's shoulders and Dick shoved him back.

"Don't fucking touch me!" Dick met Slade's eye before shaking his head. 

He grabbed the doorknob and walked out of the bathroom before moving to the closet where he worked on getting his shoes on. 

"Dick-"

"Stop. You can't hold me here like I'm a prisoner."

"That's what you think."

Dick scoffed and got up, moving to the door before Slade put his hand on it.

"Move." Dick growled.

"Why? So you can look for your next fix?"

"Better than withering away with you."

Slade stared at Dick silently before lowering his hand. Dick's grip tightened on the door knob as he went to pull it open however before he could open the door, Slade wrapped an arm around his waist and hoisted him over his shoulder.

Dick gasped and instantly before struggling, punching at the man's back as he yelled out ignored 'let go's. It wasn't long before Slade was throwing him down on the bed. Dick growled and threw a kick that Slade had evaded. Rather than staying, he backed out of the room and shut the door, holding the doorknob.

"Slade! Open the damn door!" Dick snarled as he pounded against the wood that barely moved under his fists.

He resort to pulling the door with his foot on the nearby wall but it did nothing.

"I fucking hate you! I wish I never met your sorry pathetic ass!"

The sound of a small metallic object hit the door and Slade sighed as things went quiet. Dick threw his wedding ring at it, he figured. At least Dick calmed down… Wait… They had a window.  _ Fuck _ . Slade opened the door and sure enough, the window was wide open. 

  
  
  


_______

  
  
  


"Put me down!"

Dick shouted and squirmed in Slade's grasp. Slade's house was in the middle of the woods and between the two of them Slade was faster. It hardly took any time for Slade to catch up to Dick and pick him up. This time was far less graceful. Dick was dragging his feet, flailing, trying to bite and hit Slade as he was carried with arms wrapped around his waist. 

"Dick, stop it." Slade growled.

Dick bent at the waist, as he did when trying to bite Slade, only this time he quickly straightened driving his skull into Slade's face. There was an unpleasant crunch and Dick was released. Slade was quick to grab at him sending them both to the ground but Slade persevered and climbed atop Dick roughly pinning him down. Blood was pouring out of his broken nose rapidly and onto Dick but Slade didn't care.

"God damnit, Dick!"

Dick squirmed and struggled violently, teeth bared as he tried biting and kicking the other. Finally, Slade had enough. He moved both of Dick's hands into one before his other hand moved around Dick's throat. It only aggregated him more and he began bucking his hips and thrashing around. Slade's grip held even as Dick's face reddened. He didn't let go until Dick's body went completely limp.

  
  


_____

  
  
  


Dick was in Slade's bed, unconscious. Slade's greyish blue eye ran over the deep purple bruises around Dick's wrists and neck. He shouldn't have been handling him so roughly. Slade clenched his fist and let out a heavy breath before getting up. If he was going to detox Dick then he would have to make sure Dick couldn't get out. He had sedatives on hand so he could keep Dick asleep long enough to secure the windows. He didn't want to deprive Dick of sunlight so instead he worked on bolting the windows shut. They were already bulletproof so breaking them wasn't a concern. 

Next, Slade increased the security measures on the door. He added several locks and reinforced the doorframe with thicker wood and metal. He made sure to do the same with the front door.

Finally, Slade removed all hazards. Anything that was a potential weapon and anything that could be misused, such as the alcohol and over the counter pain medication. 

Once the house was cleared, Slade made quick work to reset the security measures for accessing their side business. Dick wouldn't have access to either of their suits. Once that was done, Slade got dressed in his Deathstroke uniform. He needed to find Alfonzo and deliver a blood sample to Tim. This stuff had Dick acting far more viscerally than Slade would expect. He needed to know exactly what it was that was in Dick's system. 

  
  


________

  
  
  


"I get why you're keeping me locked in here but damn it, Slade! It's been  _ three days _ . I need fresh air! I need space."

"Dick, I already told you I don't mind taking you out." Slade responded from the couch.

Dick was on the floor in front of him, reaching up and grabbing Slade's hands. 

"Look… I love you, Slade, but I need time away from  _ you _ , outside. Please, I'll only be thirty minutes."

Slade gave Dick a long and silent look before sighing and finally nodding. Dick jumped up and hugged the other, kissing him tenderly before breaking away. 

"Thirty minutes." Slade reminded before Dick got ready and walked out the door.

It wasn't fifteen minutes later when Slade's phone rang.

"I've got a hit on Alfonzo… He's at a beach house, I'm sending you the coordinates."

It was Tim. He was more than happy to take over some of the work tracking Alfonzo while Slade focused on Dick.

"I'll be there in ten." 

  
  
  


____________

  
  
  


The next day, Slade came home. He didn't mean to be gone all night and despite being in a bloodsoaked suit he was determined to check on Dick. He made his way straight to the living room, only having removed his mask. Dick was curled up with a bowl of cereal on his lap, watching Dexter

"You're bleeding." Dick pointed out as he set his cereal aside.

"It's nothing." 

Dick shook his head and Slade watched as he moved to the secret room where all their gear was stored. 

"It's still locked." He stated calmly before Slade followed and typed in the code.

Soon he was taking a seat on the medtable where he began stripping down. He wondered if Dick knew what he had done. If Dick was angry but too exhausted to say anything. 

Dick worked on pulling the bullet out of Slades skin before giving it space to heal. He almost seemed…

Slade's gaze hardened, "Let me see your arm."

"What? Why?" Dick snapped back before realization fell over his features, "You've gotta be fucking kidding me! You think just because you left me I started using!? Do you not trust me!?"

"Dick…  _ Give me your arm _ ."

"I can't believe you right now." Dick slammed the pliers down before showing Slade his arms.

The marks that were on his skin were old, not fresh.

"Dick… I-"

"Go fuck yourself." Dick said before storming out. 

  
  


Slade gave Dick some space to cool down before pursuing him, finding the male sitting on the bed with his knees to his chest. He let out a sigh and moved to sit on the edge of the bed beside the other.

"Dick…. It's not that I don't trust you…. It's just… addiction is hard to beat."

"And you think I don't have the will power? Slade, I know I was a pain a few days ago… I've been in nothing  _ but _ pain and I feel sick all the time… It's normal for me to say things I don't mean."

"And normal for you to crave a fix." Slade pointed out.

Dick clenched his fist and jaw before looking away.

"That doesn't mean I'll give in again….. I just went for a walk… I thought .. I thought you would trust me… You weren't here when I got back."

Slade shifted and wrapped an arm around Dick's shoulders bringing him close.

"I know."

"Whose blood was that anyways?"

Dick's question was met with silence before Dick sat up.

"You didn't-...  _ Slade _ !"

"Dick. I had no choice."

"You always have a choice! Slade, I don't want you killing people in my name."

"He hurt innocent-"

"Stop. Just… Stop." Dick growled before getting up, "I'm going to shower… And sleep on the couch tonight." He said disappearing into the bathroom. 

  
  
  


________

  
  
  


"I'm glad you've… Turned things around." 

Bruce said as he sipped his coffee. Dick and Slade had gone to the Manor to meet with Bruce. It had been 3 weeks since the drug incident and Dick was doing great. He was a little spacey at times but Tim and Bruce said that was normal considering the odd mix of chemicals that was blended with the heroin.

"I couldn't have done it without Slade… It wasn't easy…. I feel… like an ass for how I just walked away from Roy when he went through it."

Bruce nodded and pat Dick's shoulder, "You can't change the past… Maybe you can form some… Support group with him."

"Actually, I'm meeting with him later this week." Dick said with a soft smile. 

Bruce offered a nod before a heavy exhale escaped him, he stood up. "Well… I have to get to Wayne Enterprises. It was good seeing you."

"You too."

  
  
  


Dick went home with Slade and was silent for a majority of the ride. Slade's hand moved to rest on Dick's thigh giving it a soft squeeze.

"You alright?"

"Yeah… Just… Thinking." Dick sighed, "Wally wanted me to come out with him and some friends tonight."

"He's been asking you to hang out a lot."

"You know how best friends are." Dick flashed a guilty smile. He shook his head and put a hand over Slade's, "I think … Going out will help me refocus my energy."

"I think it's a good idea." Slade agreed squeezing Dick's hand… Even though he knew it was a lie, he just hadn't figured out why yet. 


	3. Here we go again

It was three in the morning when Dick finally came stumbling through the door. In fact? Slade was fairly certain that Dick actually walked into the door. He rose from his spot on the couch and approached the other just as Dick nearly lost his footing and dropped the keys.

"You're drunk."

"Wally said I needed to relax." Dick said as he floppiliy hit Slade's shoulder, "Am I not allowed to have fun~?”

".... It's… I was worried… You didn't drive did you?"

"Mmmm no… Wally insisted he drive me, I told him I didn't have a tolerance but." Dick made a waving gesture as he attempted to stumble through the living room. 

Slade just exhaled and helped Dick get to bed before he worked on removing his shoes and clothing.

"Oo~ someone's frisky." Dick reached to latch his fingers in Slade's pants but Slade quickly stopped him.

" _ You're drunk." _

"You're no fun."

Slade pushed Dick back and worked on tucking him in. Dick let out a giggle before rolling over and falling asleep seconds later. Slade just sat, watching him sleep for a moment before he heard Dick's phone vibrate. His attention shifted towards the object as he fished it out of Dick's pants pocket. He was about to set it on the nightstand when he caught sight of the message on the lock screen.

'Hey man, haven't seen you in a minute. Throuple movie night tomorrow?"

From Wally…

Slade's brow furrowed and typed in the security pin…  _ Incorrect.  _ Dick changed it.. Slade tried the other usual combinations. Birthdays, important dates, secret patterns in events. Nothing. Slade grit his teeth and looked back at Dick, he grabbed his hand and tried using his fingerprint but as expected it didn't work. 

Slade closed his fist around the phone and held it to his mouth before exhaling heavily. He hated the knot that was in his stomach. He got up and moved to the armory where he brought it to his workstation and took a seat, working on hacking into the phone. It took twenty minutes but Slade finally got it and opened it up.

The first place he went was contacts. He hadn't talked to Wally in a  _ month.  _ There were numerous calls to a woman named Angelica. Slade heard himself growl and dug deeper, opening the messages. Dick hadn't been in contact with any of his friends for months. Just Angelica and family.

'How are you, babe?' Angelica 4:30pm

'Kinda down. Meet up?' Dick 4:55pm

'Sure thing :). Our usual spot? 6pm?' Angelica 4:57pm

'Can we make it 10? With the husband and dad :(' Dick 5:15pm

'Of course, lovely. See you then.' Angelica 5:20pm

Slade's heart shriveled up into a tiny knot, it felt like it was squeezing all the blood out of itself. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were white. How could Dick…. They were together for 8 years, married for five and Dick just…. Slade couldn't believe it. 

He scrubbed his face with his hands and stood up, returning the phone to the nightstand before he headed out to work. He had to clear his head.

  
  
  


The next morning came and Dick woke up with a groan. His head was throbbing and his stomach turning. He dragged himself out of bed, showered and headed to the kitchen. He couldn't help but to frown as he noticed Slade's absence but carried on with making breakfast and recovering. Slade didn't come home until much later that night. 

"Hey babe." Dick greet as he rose from the couch, approaching Slade and placing his hands on his armored chest.

Slade was silent which made Dick feel unsettled.

"... Did I say something last night?"

"Who's Angelica?"

Dick instantly stepped back, "A friend."

"A friend you've been lying about seeing?"

"I didn't lie, I told you Wally wanted to get together with some friends."

"You haven't spoken to Wally in weeks." Slade growled.

" How do you- You went through my  _ phone!?  _ Slade! What the hell!? That's a violation of privacy!"

"Cheating is a violation of trust."

Dick gasped and gestured with his arms, "Are you kidding!? You're seriously going to accuse  _ me  _ of cheating! I didn't think you could be a bigger asshole."

"Right. Because you have reason to lie to me otherwise. If you're so unhappy I would've preferred a divorce."

"Angelica is my  _ sponsor!  _ I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to think I didn't have my shit together." Dick scoffed.

Slade actually laughed, "Bullshit. You talk to me, Dick." Whether he was using his name or calling him one was unclear, "Besides. What kind of sponsor takes addicts to get drunk."

"You're such a judgemental asshole! Oh my God. You know what Slade, grow up."

"If anyone needs to grow up, it's you. Starting tomorrow. Find your own place!" Slade didn't mean it and regret it the moment he said it.

"For serious? Fine… Angelica will be happy to have me."

"Until she realizes you use people to boost your self esteem. Maybe that's why you can't keep it in your pants."

The hurt on Dick's face broke Slade's heart.

"I fucking hate you." Dick stormed off, heading into the bathroom where he slammed the door. 

Slade sighed and shook his head before walking off to change out of his suit, he would've preferred to shower first but he didn't want to talk to Dick. He just didn't know if he could face him yet after everything that had been said between them. But that didn't stop him from growing concerned when thirty minutes went by and Dick still didn't leave the restroom. He approached the door and started with a knock before waiting in silence.

"Dick." He called out, no response.

Slade didn't hesitate to bust the door down, his heart dropping when he found Dick on the floor, foam coming from his mouth and a powder covering the counter.

"Dick!"

He knelt, turning Dick onto his side. 911 wouldn't respond fast enough so Slade scooped Dick up and took him to the hospital. 


	4. The Things I Do For You

"Overdosed?" Bruce asked in disbelief. "I thought he quit."

"So did I." Slade sighed into the phone, "I know you're going to want to see him but… I want to give him time before we all bombard him. He's staying in one of my safehouses for now."

Bruce was silent for a long time, Slade didn't doubt the other disliked what Slade had to say. While they were civil, Bruce still had disdain towards Slade.

"Let me know when we can see him." Bruce finally said before hanging up.

Slade sighed and scrubbed his face before he stood up, the nurse stepping out of the bedroom at the same time.

"He's waking up." She informed.

Slade nodded a thank you and handed her some cash before he entered the room, slowly finding a seat by the bed. 

"Hey."

"Hey." Dick returned groggily, "What happened?"

Slade only looked at him and Dick's face fell into a frown. 

"Oh…"

"At what point did you start using again?"

Dick was silent now, his eyes moving off Slade and focusing on the corner of the room.

"I…. I never quit… When I went for a walk-"

"Who's Angelica?"

"... My dealer." Dick sighed and brought his hands over his face briefly before looking to Slade, "You don't understand what it feels like, Slade… I can't just  _ quit. _ I need it… I  _ hurt _ so bad."

Slade shook his head, "You can and you  _ will _ quit…And I'm going to help you even if it means you hating me."

"You know I will." Dick sighed and looked down, "Can you at least… Give me sometime? A transition period."

Slade arched a brow and Dick sighed before looking away.

"I was talking to Roy… He said quitting cold turkey may make you bound to relapse… I'll ween you off but I'll control the dosage."

"Do you have it here?" Dick asked and Slade just laughed before standing and kissing Dick's head.

"Get some rest."

  
  
  


__________

  
  
  


Hesitantly Slade pushed the needle into Dick's skin, he hated the way his eyes fluttered and pleasure filled his features as he pushed some of the drug in. Slowly, he withdrew the needle and placed a small pad of gauze over the needle mark. 

"That's it?" Dick asked as his attention shifted back to Slade who failed to meet his gaze.

"We're trying to get you clean, not high."

"Doesn't mean you can't give me a little more." Dick snapped before standing up.

Slade felt his jaw tighten as he shook his head, "You could be a little grateful."

"Grateful? Of what?" 

"Of the fact I'm not making you quit cold turkey." 

"And you're lucky I haven't dumped your ass." Dick countered.

Slade stood up, "I don't even know who you are anymore."

Dick rolled his eyes, "Don't be so dramatic."

"No… I've been biting my tongue too long. You have become so disgustingly selfish." 

Dick opened his mouth to protest but before he could, Slade was already leaving the suite. He growled and followed, trying the doorknob only to find it locked.

"Figures."

  
  
  


_________

  
  
  
  


"You've got to be fucking kidding me! 'my last dose', this isn't shit!" Dick growled as he threw the needle across the room. 

Slade's gaze followed the object before he gave a heavy sigh, crossing his arms.

"It's been a week, Dick. I can't ween you off forever."

"You're right, but you can give up this  _ stupid _ idea of getting me clean. Who do you think you are?! You're not my  _ boyfriend _ and you're  _ not _ my friend. What I do with  _ my _ life is none of your g*ddamn business!"

Slade just rolled his eyes and turned to walk away, Dick's anger rising drastically.

"Don't fucking walk away from me!"

Dick ran in front of Slade and gave a hard shove to his chest but it hardly moved him. 

"You're going to fix this."

Slade laughed, "Fix what? Your  _ addiction?" _

"I'm not going to suffer because you're now too uncomfortable to deal with who I am."

"And what's that exactly? A self-centered narcissistic junkie?"

Dick pulled his fist back and swung at Slade full force, hitting him right in the lip.

"You're the one being…" Dick stopped abruptly as blood began running down Slade's chin, horror and realization on his face as he stepped back and pulled at his own hair. "Oh my God, what's happening to me?"

"Dick." Slade took a step towards him and he swore Dick just about leapt back.

"No! Don't come near me! I don't want to hurt you…" 

His breathing grew more shallow and he let out choked sobs. Slade frowned and took the other into his arms despite Dick trying to pull away with loud protests. Before he knew it they had sunk to the ground and Dick was sobbing into Slade's chest, repeating I'm sorry's over strained breathes. 

  
  
  
  


__________

  
  
  


Dick was throwing up in the toilet, Slade sitting behind him and rubbing his back.

"Fuck." Dick growled before sinking down, "Can I have some damn space?.... Please?" He asked with his head in his hands.

Slade sighed and got up, leaving the bathroom. He waited for what felt like hours, a pit growing in his stomach. Finally he opened the door, looking down at Dick who hadn't moved. 

"Hey…" Slade started before sitting beside Dick who looked up with tear soaked cheeks.

"I think I hate myself."

"You are an  _ awful _ addict."

Dick choked out a chuckle and let his head rest on Slade's shoulder, "I'm sorry I did this to you… To us.. I don't want to be like this anymore… It's disgusting."

"We're going to keep working until you're clean."

"I know…. I just….. thank you for not giving up on me."

"Till death do us part, remember?"


End file.
